[The VS Code Go extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=golang.go) provides rich language support for the [Go programming language](https://golang.org/).
- **Step 1.** If you haven't done so already, install [Go](https://golang.org) and the [VS Code Go extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=golang.go).
- [Go installation guide](https://golang.org/doc/install). This extension works best with Go 1.14+.
- [Manage extensions in VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/extension-gallery)
- **Step 2.** To activate the extension, open any directory or workspace containing Go code. Once activated, the [Go status bar](docs/ui.md) will appear in the bottom left corner of the window and show the recognized Go version.
- **Step 3.** The extension depends on [a set of extra command-line tools](#tools). If they are missing, the extension will show the "⚠️ Analysis Tools Missing" warning. Click the notification to complete the installation.
Please be sure to learn more about many [features](#features) of this extension as well as how to [customize](#customization) them. Take a look at [Troubleshooting](docs/troubleshooting.md) and [Help](#ask-for-help) for further guidance.
If you are new to Go, [this article](https://golang.org/doc/code.html) provides the overview on go code organization and basic `go` commands. The recent [Go open source live video](https://opensourcelive.withgoogle.com/events/go/watch?talk=session3) featured VS Code Go and demonstrated how other Gophers use the features to enhance their Go development workflow.
This extension provides many features, including [IntelliSense](docs/features.md#intellisense), [code navigation](docs/features.md#code-navigation), and [code editing](docs/features.md#code-editing) support. It also shows [diagnostics](docs/features.md#diagnostics) as you work and provides enhanced support for [testing](docs/features.md##run-and-test-in-the-editor) and [debugging](#debugging) your programs. See the [full feature breakdown](docs/features.md) for more details and to learn how to tune the behavior.
In addition to integrated editing features, the extension provides several commands for working with Go files. You can access any of these by opening the Command Palette (`Ctrl+Shift+P` on Linux/Windows and `Cmd+Shift+P` on Mac), and then typing in the command name. See the [full list of commands](docs/commands.md#detailed-list) provided by the extension.
**⚠️ Note**: the default syntax highlighting for Go files is provided by the [TextMate rule](https://github.com/jeff-hykin/better-go-syntax) embedded in VS Code, not by this extension.
The extension uses a few command-line tools developed by the Go community. In particular, `go`, `gopls`, and `dlv` are used to implement build/test, language features, and debugging functionalities of this extension. See the [tools documentation](docs/tools.md) for a complete list of tools the extension depends on.
In order to locate the command-line tools, the extension searches `$GOPATH/bin` and directories specified in the `PATH` environment variable (or `Path` in Windows) with which the VS Code process has started. If the tools are not found, the extension will prompt you to install the missing tools and show the "⚠️ Analysis Tools Missing" warning in the bottom right corner. Please install them by responding to the warning notification, or by manually running the `Go: Install/Update Go Tools` command. The extension will run the [`go get`](https://golang.org/cmd/go) command to install them.
[Go modules](https://golang.org/ref/mod) are how Go manages dependencies in recent versions of Go. Modules replace the `GOPATH`-based approach to specifying which source files are used in a given build, and they are the default build mode in go1.16+. While this extension continues to support both Go modules and `GOPATH`-mode, we highly recommend Go development in module mode. If you are working on existing projects, please consider migrating to modules.
Unlike the traditional `GOPATH`-mode, module mode does not require the workspace to be located under `GOPATH` nor to use a specific structure. A module is defined by a directory tree of Go source files with a `go.mod` file in the tree's root directory. Your project may involve one or more modules. If you are working with multiple modules or uncommon project layouts, you will need to configure your workspace so that the extension knows which code to load, so that features like references can work across modules. Please see the [workspace documentation](https://github.com/golang/tools/blob/master/gopls/doc/workspace.md) for information on supported workspace layouts.
The extension needs no configuration and should work out of the box. However, you may wish to adjust settings to customize its behavior. Below are a few commonly used settings. Please see the [settings documentation](docs/settings.md) for a comprehensive list of settings.
The extension chooses the `go` command using the `PATH` (or `Path`) environment variable by default. You can configure the extension to choose a different version of `go` with one of the following options.
**note**: For historical reasons, some users configure the `"go.goroot"` settings or the `GOROOT` environment variable to select the Go SDK location. With recent versions of Go, that's unnecessary in most cases.
The `Go: Install/Update Tools` command uses the `go get` command to download and install requested tools. By default, `go get` will install the compiled tools in one of the following directories.
- the directory the `GOBIN` environment variable specifies, or
- the `bin` directory under the first `GOPATH` (or `"go.gopath"`) directory, or
Some users prefer to choose a different installation location. In that case, use the `"go.toolsGopath"` setting.
The extension finds the required tools by their names (`go`, `gopls`, `dlv`, etc.). The `"go.alternateTools"` setting provides a way to configure the extension to use different tool location, for example a wrapper with a different name.
A commonly customized feature is the linter, which is the tool used to provide coding style feedback and suggestions.
This extension supports linters such as `staticcheck`, `golangci-lint`, and `revive`. You can choose one of them using the `"go.lintTool"` setting. For customization of the linter, please consult the linter's documentation.
<!-- TODO: maybe have tips.md or settings.md to discuss more customization and setting tips (e.g. activating signature help after completion, disabling snippets to reduce the interference with gopls' suggestions, setting proxies, etc.) -->
When you need to work on the [Go project](https://go.googlesource.com/go), please follow the instruction in the [Standard Library Development](docs/stdlib.md) documentation to adjust your settings.
If you're having issues with this extension, please reach out to us by [filing an issue](https://github.com/golang/vscode-go/issues/new/choose) or asking a question on the [Gophers Slack]. We hang out in the `#vscode` channel!
If you'd like to get early access to new features and bug fixes, you can use the nightly build of this extension. Learn how to install it in by reading the [Go Nightly documentation](docs/nightly.md).
We welcome your contributions and thank you for working to improve the Go development experience in VS Code. If you would like to help work on the VS Code Go extension, please see our [contribution guide](docs/contributing.md). It explains how to build and run the extension locally, and describes the process of sending a contribution.
This project follows the [Go Community Code of Conduct](https://golang.org/conduct). If you encounter a conduct-related issue, please mail conduct@golang.org.
